Weddings that fall apart

// THIS IS AN OLD CHAPTER. THE NEW CHAPTERS ARE IN VOLUME 2. YOU CAN READ THESE CHAPTERS IF YOU WANT SOME INSIGHT ON WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN LATER BUT SOME EVENTS CAN BE DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW CHAPTERS.

A few days have passed since my deal with Tom, my mom delivered the prototype of the contract and teleportation door which I renamed Telarch, I'm really bad at coming up with names, I should ask my mom to hire a marketing team.

When she got home, she gave me mocking smiles as she mentioned Lana, I'm pretty sure she met her and suspects something. It's a mother special ability to guess with whom their children have a relationship.

Tom kept his word, although he had no real choice. I wonder if he would die from breaching the contract or if he would just lose his body and return to the gaseous state he had when he escaped Quirell? Several anonymous envelopes were deposited in a letterbox that I rented for the occasion and I hypnotized the concierge so that the larger parcels were put aside.

I'm also continuing my little magical creature collection, Mister Barjow thinks he has found a poacher team capable of bringing me a Nundu, and one of the rangers at the Thunderbird Reserve in Arizona would be willing to let me in against a large sum of money. I await further information from him.

But while waiting for this, July 5th promises to be a glorious day, my parents and those of Daphne chose this sunny day to organize a tea party in the garden of the Greengrass family. They plan to publicly announce the end of the engagement, and the icing on the cake, since Daphne managed to convince her father, our family will not have to pay them compensation.

Daphne came in a white summer dress; it makes her look like an angel when she stands facing the sun.

"You are resplendent today." My compliment makes her blush.

"Thank you." she spins around herself "Do you think it looks good on me?"

"It's a perfect fit."

"What a pity to cancel your engagement when you get along so well. "Mrs. Greengrass has just arrived behind my back.

"Hello, my Lady, nice to see you again."

"Hello Sean, you've grown up so much, you're almost a man now."

"Thank you, you become more beautiful with each passing year." It's true, I don't know if it's thanks to potions or spells, but Daphne's mother hasn't aged or got a single wrinkle since I've known her.

Only noble families close to ours are present at this event. I would have liked to see Rose to see how she was doing at home with her crazy brother, but the Potters don't seem to have been invited.

A small artificial lake had been created in the garden. I have fun picking up rocks and then make them explode over the water, the only downside is that I have to use my wand because of the guests. I throw a stone, but it explodes before I can move my wand

"Cracbadaboum" I turn around and see Daphne, her wand raised.

"Hey, I was going to destroy that stone."

"Yes, but it's in my backyard, so I have the right to destroy it if I feel like it." Daphne is pouting, she really looks like a mischievous cat in this white dress.

"Ah yes" I smile at her. "Would you be up for settling this with a duel?"

"As if a bookworm like you had the slightest chance of beating me." The insult is said to provoke me, but its tone makes me say that she does not mean it.

"I even bet I can beat you without moving from where I am." Daphne moves back to get to a regulatory distance, and we both take a duelist pose.

"Stupefix" Daphne cheats and does not wait for the end of the countdown to attack. I deflect her attacks with small shields that I make appear on my free hand giving the illusion that I catch her spells with my bare hands.

The guests begin to observe our duel from a distance having been attracted by the sounds of the colliding spells.

"It's okay, we've heard enough from you: Mutismus" Daphne's tongue curls around itself preventing her from casting another spell.

Daphne is a pretty bad loser and begins to stomp her feet on the ground and make big gestures with her arms. I break the curse allowing him to speak again.

"Hexes are not fair!" She takes a sulky face.

"Not really, go take a bath you stink of defeat: Aquamenti" I send some water which wets Daphne's face and her dress a little. She sends me back a jet of water in retaliation and quickly a water fight is organized with the other children present at the party, those who do not know the spell receive an accelerate class from their parents to be able to play with us.

After about twenty minutes we are all soaked from head to toe and we let ourselves dry in the sun, resting from all the energy we have expended.

"It was fun."

"Why don't we do things like this more often." She's right, I rarely let go to this point.

"Because given the temperatures here, we would end up sick if we tried the same experience again at Hogwarts"

We continue to enjoy the sun without saying anything while waiting for the fateful moment when we would be called on the front stage to put an end to our parents' nonsense.

As the day begins to fall, we are called to join our families. Our parents are on each side of a brazier, our fathers hold a red ribbon above the flames. When we arrive next to them my father gives me his end of the ribbon, and Daphne's father gives her his.

"My friends, here we are to show that love can triumph over tradition. Our children have shown their will and have rejected our project of alliance by marriage. This is how the red ribbon of their destinies will be cut and consumed by flames to represent the end of the bond that unites these two young people. "

Our two respective fathers stand next to us with a pair of large scissors and cut the ribbon at the same time, leaving the central part to be consumed by the flames. With that, the marriage contract between me and Daphne is officially over.